Integrated semiconductor devices have found applications in a variety of systems which require large levels of power to be passed through the integrated circuit. For example, integrated circuits are used to provide drive current to electric motors that are used in a variety of applications including hard disk drives and floppy drives. In addition, integrated circuits are used to provide the switches which control the passage of power from a battery into the system it powers. In these contexts, the integrated circuit must be able to hold back a large amount of voltage with little or no leakage current. The leakage current of the integrated circuit in the power context is the chief parameter which determines how long the battery will stay charged when the system is not in use.
These integrated systems typically utilize a relatively robust field effect transistor that needs to provide a high breakdown voltage when the field effect transistor is in its non-conducting condition and a very low resistance when the field effect transistor is in its conducting condition. These two parameters are difficult to balance as the typical techniques used to reduce the resistance of the transistor will adversely affect its breakdown voltage and vice versa.